Prototype K
by Chibi Zia
Summary: Sora, Kairi and Riku just wanted to build a prototype AI and get out of the DI sector. They didn't expect to be roped into far more than they bargained for -- at great cost. AU, 'cyberverse'.
1. Prologue

A/N: This is an AU adventure fic based on a technologically advanced world. It will include KH-only characters, FF characters and Disney characters. There won't be any major pairing, but there will be subtext -- of the het, yuri and yaoi kind (but not in this prologue). However, this fic is mostly gen. I'm not revolving around romance here. Fair warning before you read! I would also like to mention that I hate breaking my line breakers. Fuckers.

* * *

Kairi walks through the halls lightly, a small echo following her steps as she hums a light-hearted song. She stops once she reaches a slightly opened door, a small smile reaching her lips. She shakes her head and sighs softly, amused.

"Sora, you lazy bum," Kairi mutters, walking through the door. The room is completely dark, and, if she listens closely, she can make out the sound of soft snoring. She chuckles as she opens the light and then moves to the source of the sound. Sora is leaning against the wall, head drooping. Kairi's smile is almost vicious as she repeats:

"Sora, you _lazy_ bum." A snore is her answer and she leans down, grinning fully. "Wake up," she calls at him, louder this time. Still nothing. "You asked for it," she tells him, unable to keep the laughter from her voice. She reaches out and flicks his ear.

Sora shoots up with a cry, almost hitting his forehead on hers, but Kairi moves away before the connection, laughing fully now. Sora sends a hurt look at her, mock-glaring.

"What did you do that for, Kairi?" Sora whines, rubbing at his ear. Kairi shrugs in answer, brushing some stray hair behind her ear, still smiling. She tilts her head to the side, putting one hand on her hip.

"You were sleeping, you lazy bum," she repeats herself -- not that Sora _knows_ she's said it before -- with a grin, "Skipping out on us? Don't you want to finish it?"

Sora rubs the back of his head, chuckling sheepishly. He opens his mouth to answer when a voice cuts him off.

"I could ask the same thing to you, Kairi," Riku enters the room, throwing a wrench towards Sora as he scrambles to get up and almost receives it directly on his face, sharp reflexes saving him from being knocked out by his friend, "Weren't you supposed to be working, too?"

The girl laughs in answer. "Ha! You caught me," she exclaims, clasping her hands together, completely unbothered.

Sora grins at Kairi as they share a look and laugh, Riku's eyes rolling to the sky, a smile tugging at his lips too. Their older friend shrugs, as if it can't be helped.

"I guess I'm the only one who wants to finish our prototype," he declares, and then, after looking at Kairi, adds, "Even if Kairi got her hair all tied up already."

"No way!" Sora yells out, brandishing the wrench like a sword. "We're almost done, of course we want to finish the prototype!"

Kairi tightens her ponytail, nodding eagerly. "Since we're all together, we should work on it now. Tron's in the other room."

Riku pushes the wrench away from his direction with an amused look to Sora, turning back to Kairi. "Tron, huh? Is that why you're making yourself all pretty for a _programming_ job?"

She makes a face as an answer as Sora sporfles and Riku smirks. "It's not my fault he's more of a man then both of you," the redhead declares decidedly and the boys' smiles turn to complaints as she laughs and moves out.

"C'mon," she tells them, "Let's get to work."

**THISWASALINE  
**

They have been working on a prototype Artificial Intelligence, AI, for some months now. Kairi, their programming expert, has had most of her work done already, preparing what this new series they want to create will do, how it will react. She's been rarely seen without her laptop, the afore-mentioned Tron, during this time. The help of the Tron program, an AI brain inside her computer, was very useful for the teenagers and they're extremely grateful for it. Tron was a gift from her scarce father -- a famous programmer before he'd died -- when she was very young. The AI has been with her nearly all her life.

Sora, himself, is a mechanic specialist -- he's the one who built the body. Sora's detail work is impressive, considering how lazy he is, Riku often jokes. And it _is_ impressive, but not because of Sora's laziness, but simply because Sora is one of the most talented mechanics in the whole of the DI sector. His mother taught him all he knew, he'll declare proudly to anyone who asks, which is half of the truth. There's simply nothing that can explain what happened when the three were younger, how they all got to their level of expertise. It's not something the DI sector would accept. Not something society as a _whole_ would, really. So he leaves it at that.

Riku's part in this is more fine-print. He's the one who got the idea, and he's the one who will do the finishing touches -- the skin, the hair. The little details people will look at first when looking at an AI. Riku is the one who will make it the most humanlike as possible, and he's the one who invented the prototype in the first place, really. Sora and Kairi are his partners regardless, and all Riku truly wants is to get out of the DI sector with both of them thanks to their prototype.

All they wanted was freedom and to create a type of AI that would be useful for humanity.

But everyone makes mistakes.

**BUTFFNET**

Sora wakes up in the middle of the night, his wristwratch beeping loudly on the nightstand. He struggles to take hold of it for a few seconds, still half asleep. He looks confused as he presses a button, changing the function to short e-mail alerts sent by Tron that Kairi programmed into it. The message flashes before his eyes as he drops his watch and jumps to his feet, putting his clothes on quickly over his boxers and running out, abandoning the watch to the floor.

The message flashes on the floor:

_Our part of the DI sector is under attack_, it reads, _They're after the prototype._

**WASADICK**

The panic Sora is feeling is nothing compared to the adrenaline that rushes through him as he runs through the streets, wishing for the first time he didn't live as far from their corner of the DI sector as he did.

He runs through the building faster than he's ever run in his life. There's no one around -- and that's reason enough to be worried. There's _always_ a guard, some late-night workers, or even just random homeless people taking shelter in the center. The doors aren't locked, the lights are all off and Sora can hear his footsteps echo around him as he rushes from place to place, looking for either Riku, Kairi, the prototype or whoever was trying to steal it. He doesn't even think about the fact that he doesn't have a weapon, not even the wrench he sometimes carries around with him. He simply knows that their work-- their_future_ -- is in danger, and there's a good chance so are Riku and Kairi. He has to get to them.

He halts to a stop once he sees Riku in one of the rooms. There are some black things around him, advancing slowly. The material they seem to be made of -- because there is no way those things are _natural_, even with the mutations some things suffered -- makes a horrible sound that chills Sora deep in his bones as they move, yet at the same time he _knows_ they could very well be silent as a tomb if they wished for it. He staggers for a moment, unsure, and then moves in, swiftly, kicking one of the creatures away. This barely moves it a foot.

"Riku!" Sora calls out, trying to move amongst the black mass surrounding his friend. Riku turns to look at him and Sora stops, frozen by the mix of horror and determination on Riku's face. And a trace of -- is it ... guilt?

"Sora, what are you--" Riku is interrupted by one of those things trying to claw at Sora and he takes hold of a wrench in his pocket, throwing it at the thing before it could do any damage. Sora recognizes it as the one Riku threw him earlier. Sora tries to move around the things again, but it's no use. He holds out his hand.

"Riku, come on!"

But Riku only shakes his head, softly. "I -- I made a mistake," Riku rushes out, "I wanted to get out so much that I..."

"Riku, you can tell me later, we gotta _go_!" Sora cuts him off, gesturing wildly. The things are slow, as if not wanting to attack, and -- that's not something Sora feels like pondering much. So far, it just means they can go out and get Kairi and the prototype before -- before something happens.

Riku hesitates for a second, before motioning for him to go. "I'll take care of these guys! Go and find Kairi, I'll --" and here he pauses, looking around the room before staring back at Sora grimly, "I'll join you later."

At the mention of Kairi, the robots -- or so Sora thinks they are -- move, as if one, twitching, coming closer and faster, whereas before they seemed to be almost standing still except for the random attack. Sora takes the wrench Riku threw him earlier to fight some off, but they're -- excited, now, and the thought is simply terrifying.

"But Riku --"

"Just _go_!"

Sora staggers, hesitates, but Riku seems set on his idea, and if there's one person more stubborn than Sora, it's Riku. The faster he finds Kairi, the faster they can all get out of here. He nods to Riku before turning and dashing out of the room. He doesn't look back as he hears the door close behind him, somehow, he simply runs faster. He _has_ to find Kairi, so they can both get Riku and he can stop being_stupid_, and --

He looks back as the explosion sounds out, the sector behind him catching on fire at the same speed he's running, and his breath catches in his throat as his eyes widen and the thought suddenly hits him -- Riku _blew them all up_. Except Riku was _in there_, that's why he wanted Sora to go, that's why -- that's why --

"Sora!" Kairi's voice yells out, and he turns back to look at her, confronted with the same stricken expression that must be on his face. She's figured it out, too, that Riku is -- Riku is -- Sora staggers to a stop, shaking like a leaf, unable to run anymore. Riku is --

"Sora, behind you!" And this time Kairi sounds horrified, and Sora doesn't even have time to turn to look behind him as something hits his head and he falls.

After that, everything goes black. And the last thing Sora hears is the roar of the fire around them at the same time as Kairi cries out again.

And then, nothing.

* * *

A/N: So, how is this for a start? I am open to concrit for anything, anytime -- please be aware, however, that this is simply the prologue. Meaning the story does quite a jump around chapter one, I do believe. My beta and I went over this, but if you find any mistakes, please tell me. :) I hope you enjoyed it.


	2. Intermission Data: Project Sora X

A/N: This is an intermission, meaning you see nothing but villains and my complete unsubtlety with plot points. O yes.

Chapter one to be up shooortly, as I am working on it as we speak. ... Working on it very slowly, because I block at the silliest things, really. I ... finished the intermission some time ago and forgot to post. I am great like that, yes. Enjoy

* * *

**-- INCOMING DATA --**

_A lone figure is watching a monitor. Except for the small lighting it provides, the sole light seems to come from the green tubes further in the laboratory, glowing unnaturally. Their content can't be seen from this far, but the figure knows _exactly_ what's in them. They're the most important things he has done yet. If he succeeds... His lips curl upwards at the thought. _When_ he succeeds, it will be ... perfect._

_"The boy is ready, Sir." _

_There is a pause as the shadowed man turns towards another figure. One of many meanless peons. The only tools he had that weren't useless are long dead by now, however, and so he makes do with what he has. _

_"And what about the girl?" He asks softly, his voice keeping a demanding tone nonetheless. The second figure shudders, both at what they're doing and at the man before him. He hesitates before answering, voice wavering slightly. _

_"... She is, also," he starts, "It-- should work." _

_Somehow, the first man seems bigger, even more intimidating as he turns towards him, glowering. "Should? You _ignorant_ fool," he snarls, still not raising his voice even as the scientist cowers from fear, "It _must_ work." _

_The second one babbles meanless apologies, but the other isn't listening, turning back to the tubes. He has been planning this so long and now, _finally_, he has the pieces he was missing. If anything were to not work at this point, _everything_ he had done would be meaningless. It couldn't happen. He needed them both for this, the boy _and_ the girl. They were ... special. _

_"Commence the procedure." _

_With a quick approval, the man runs out, panicked, belting out orders to more meaningless people. In the grand scheme of things, everything they did could have been done faster, better by people more talented. But talent, he knows, means betrayal. Oh, he knows rather personally. So he contents himself with worthless ants who can understand _nothing_, who _know_ nothing. It is better this way. _

_The machines start up, a loud whirring noise suddenly heard as the tubes seem to glow even brighter, fluorescent. Yes. After the gruesome procedure of preparing both of them, they were finally injecting the Mako. Everything was going perfectly. His eyes focus on the boy, his lips pull back in a smile that shows teeth. Yes. _Yes._ He was reacting _exactly_ the way he needed to, he was -- _

_And then an alarm rings out and he turns around, crying out: "You fools! What are you _doing_!" The scientists are making moves to stop everything and hesitate once they see the look on the man's face, chills running down their spines. The scientist from before yells out, quickly as to not anger their "boss" further: _

_"It's the girl, Sir, she -- she's not reacting right, her body is rejecting the Mako! The boy is fine, but--" _

_The man snarls, stopping him mid-sentence. "Then continue the procedure on the boy, you _ignorant

_The scientist, in some strange form of bravery, yells back. "If we stop the girl, we have to stop the boy -- they're connected. She's _dying_! If we lose her, we lose him!" _

_The man's sneer is apparent, but he relents. "Stop the procedure immediately," he orders, firm, and the scientists move back to do so, hurrying, "The girl's body is only rejecting the Mako on a clinical scale, isn't it? She's not compatible. It's making her sick. But she'll still have her powers. We'll be moving her to the Project O. center, then." _

_There is a move of protest, but the man silences them all with a glare. "We may yet find a use to her, even like this. I will not have everything I have done be in vain." _

_"What of the boy?" _

_"Leave him here for now," the man answers, quietly. "He will be of no use to us without the girl. First, we must secure the girl. Am I understood? Now leave."_

_The quiet murmur of agreement and the shuffling as they leave the room is all that the man hears as he looks at the boy in the tube. _

_"It's sad," he tells him, "That you will never be as perfect as the original. But we couldn't have done this to Sora, you see? He is even more important than you are." _

_The grin is sudden on his face and, even though he is unaware of anything at all, the boy in the tube seems to shudder. _

_"So much more, indeed."_

**--FAILURE TO PROCESS DATA. FIGURES UNKNOWN. DATA KNOWN: PROJECT NAME ... **

**SORA X --**


	3. Chapter 1: The Start of Something Odd

When Sora wakes up, it's with a splitting headache and the feeling of having slept for over a _year_. His body feels sluggish, his brain trying to catch up with why he's sleeping in a sitting position while keeping his eyes closed. He can't seem to remember what he did before he went to sleep -- Sora knows there's no way he'd worked hard enough yesterday to have fell asleep in the labs again, so why --

Sora's eyes fly open as everything comes rushing back and he manages to choke out a "Riku, Kairi" before he has to close them again with a grunt. The whole room is blinding white. Is he in the hospital? If that's the case, then what happened to Riku and Kairi? He opens his eyes a slit to get accustomed to the bright light. He can't see anything but white everywhere and he forces himself to look properly, around. It's definitely not a hospital. Hospitals, as far as Sora knows, have furniture. From what Sora can see, it's simply an empty, white room. He groans as he gets up slowly, almost stumbling down two or three times, holding on to the wall for support. Is he -- dead? No -- he can feel his heart hammering in his chest. But where is he, then?

He moves around the room, slowly, trying to find an exit, or a hint as to where he is. There's nothing there. It's simply a circular white room.

"Hello?" Sora tries out, loudly, "Is anyone here?"

There's no answer, and he's starting to feel claustrophobic, now. He puts both hands on the wall, trying to find a-- secret passage, like in the movies he used to watch with Riku when they were little. He lets his hands trail over the walls as he circles the room, one, two, three times. Nothing. Sora's voice catches in his throat as he hits the wall with his fist on his last turn.

"_Let me out_!" Sora bellows out, but still no one answers him. His shoulders shake as he slides down to his knees, letting his head thump against the wall softly. He clenches his eyes shut. If at least -- if at least he knew if Riku and Kairi were okay, were alive... Was there even a chance Riku was alive after what he did? No. He shouldn't be thinking like that. Riku was -- Riku had to be okay.

Sora doesn't know what he'd do if he wasn't.

----------

Sora doesn't know how much time he's spent pacing that room -- minutes, hours, _days_, even -- when he hears a small sound, like an intercom being turned on. Sora stops his pacing, looking around excitedly, adrenaline picking up. Was he imagining things?

"... You're awake," a voice crackles out from somewhere in the room -- Sora can't pinpoint where -- and after a pause, adds: "I didn't even think you could be awake, anymore."

"Where are you?!" Sora yells out, turning around and trying to find the source of the voice, "Let me out!"

There's a pause filled only with the crackle of the intercom. Sora holds his breath.

"... Oh," the voice finally says, "Sorry about that. I'll let you out in a sec ... Just a question -- what happened to the pod?"

Sora shoots out a look that shows his complete lack of understanding, even though he's not sure the voice -- and if only by sound, it sounds like a boy around his age, oddly enough -- can see him. He looks around again and puts his hands on his hips.

"What are you talking about? Look, just -- let me out," Sora pleads, "We'll talk about this face to face, alright?"

He's not even sure what the other boy means by a "pod" -- besides, the place has been empty since Sora woke up. He has to wait again for the voice to pick up -- as if there's some sort of lag of communication, or the boy simply isn't used to speaking with people. Considering he has Sora locked in some white room, that wouldn't actually surprise him.

"... Face to face. Sure."

Sora doesn't even have the time to question the statement has a door opens in one of the walls Sora definitely searched before, but he doesn't even take notice of this as he sprints out of the white room --

Right into a definitely too dark laboratory. There are computer monitors everywhere, bringing the only light in the place and Sora's eyes have a difficult time adjusting to the contrast. Again, this brings the question -- just where is he?

"Hey. Over here," the voice calls out, and this time it sounds much closer, "You wanted to talk 'face to face', so come on. We don't have a lot of time."

Sora doesn't question that statement as he starts moving closer to where the voice seems to come from -- but there's no one there. He looks around bewilderedly. He was so sure the boy was around here, though... He observes some computer screens until the voice calls out, half-amused, half-exasperated:

"Over here, genius."

That ... came from the computer a bit further off. What? He approaches cautiously and almost stumbles when he notices on the computer screen -- an AI program, just like Tron. He looks more human, but there's no other explanation for why the boy would be in the computer; it's an AI, no questions.

The boy is looking at him, standing straight. He... kind of looks like Sora. His eyes are the same color -- a bit narrower, maybe, but they definitely look like his. His hair sticks up everywhere, too, except his is blond and not brown. Sora is taken out of his accession of the other boy when he crosses his arms defensively.

"Happy now? We're face to face," the blond bites at him, frowning slightly.

Sora would say he's surprised at the boy's attitude, but he's seen far worst AIs in his time. But still! He gapes a little and shouts out; completely foregoing whatever tact was left in him:

"You're an AI!"

He sounds both amazed and surprised, and he coughs to remind himself that he's worked with AIs for most of his life. There really shouldn't be anything amazing about it. But -- wait. If the boy is an AI, then that means that he wasn't the one who had Sora locked up. Then, who ...?

"Not exactly," the AI's voice cuts Sora's thoughts short. Sora tilts his head at this, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"Not ... exactly?" Sora repeats, gesturing for the boy to go on.

The boy hesitates, moving his weight from foot to foot. Finally, he seems to decide on something as he opens his mouth:

"I can't get you out of this place," the boy rushes to say, "So you don't have to fake being interested to get your way. If I could, I would've done it already. There's a special lock I can't access. I -- you have to find your own way out. There's nothing I can do for you."

Sora frowns. "But -- maybe there's something I can do for you."

This seems to throw the other boy off balance, and he simply stares at Sora for a while, uncomprehending.

"You -- why would you want to?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Sora answers with a careless shrug, and goes on before the boy can interrupt him again: "Just tell me if there's something I can do for you. Maybe we can both go out together. You don't look like you want to be stuck here, either, so..."

Sora trails off, grinning slightly at the boy. The boy smiles back, uncertain.

"Yeah...," he answers, softly, before continuing, more determinedly than Sora has heard him talk since he found him, "My consciousness was place in the computer by the guy who brought you here. My body is somewhere around here, in one of the pods, but it's in a specially locked room that I can't access."

"Woah, woah -- take a break, there," Sora halts him before he gets completely lost, "You're saying the guy who captured me -- put your ... consciousness inside a computer?"

"More like a program. I wasn't supposed to break free of it," the boy explains, "I broke through and now I have access to most of the things connected to the computers around here. Like a normal AI program that's been placed in a computer. Some things are off-limits even with that, though."

"Man, I didn't even know you could do something like that," Sora mutters under his breath and asks, louder, "Alright, so let's say that's all normal, where's your body?"

"I don't know the exact place," the blond says, hesitating, "But I know it's somewhere around here, locked up. I just ... feel it, I guess."

There is a pregnant pause, in which Sora simply stares at the other boy and isn't sure if he should believe him. He shrugs, finally -- if he wants answers, he needs to listen to whatever this guy has to say, whether or not it sounds possible. He's seen his fair quota of impossible things before, anyway, hasn't he? So he gives him the benefit of the doubt.

"... Right. It's in one of the uh, 'pods', is that it?" Sora questions.

"Right. Like the one you were supposed to be kept in," and here the boy shrugs, carelessly, "But I think I might've messed up with something when I was trying to wake you up, because it wasn't there anymore, and you were out, too..."

This is one plot hole Sora doesn't feel like taking care of and so he presses on. "Okay, now that I've got how we both got here covered, how do we get out? Not that I don't like the decor," Sora deadpans, "But I'll pass on insane maniacs who like to lock up kids."

"Point," the blond cracks a smile, "I'm pretty sure my body is somewhere near the exit. Lock out my body and take it out of the pod, and you're out of here. If there's anything else you need to know after that, we can talk about it outside, since you're so pressed with leaving. Not that I blame you."

"So all that's keeping me in this place is a special lock, huh?" Sora grins widely, cocky.

"Something like that. Why, do you have a plan?"

"Do you have a name?" Sora answers, instead, "I'm Sora."

"I ... know," the boy says, simply, and then adds, "I'm -- Roxas."

"Well, Roxas," Sora crosses both of his arms behind his head, shit-eating grin in place, "What you don't know is ... Locks are something of a specialty for me."

---------

About a year ago, before Sora, Riku and Kairi had started on their AI prototype -- before they'd even thought of it, really-- some things happened that sent Riku and Sora on a quest. The three of them had been separated then, too, but Sora and Riku had found each other before they'd found Kairi. In their desperate search for each other, on each side, they'd met some people.

Riku had met a king. Sora, the King's loyal friends and servants. Though he wasn't a typical king, thanks to his help and that of his two companions, Sora and Riku had found each other and, soon after, had found Kairi.

The King had parted with them with kind words and a secret gift for each of the trio. Sora's gift in particular had proven often helpful.

After all, who would deny the use of a key that could open any lock?

---------

"It's not a normal lock," Roxas tells him with a frown, "A 'key' isn't going to work."

He didn't add that, in this day and age, no one used locks that needed _normal_ keys anymore. What use could an actual key is? Passwords were the most basic method for opening doors and those who used those were few and far between. Sora simply smiles knowingly and waves Roxas's concerns off.

"Good thing I'm not talking about a normal key, then, isn't it?" Sora responds, and then adds: "C'mon! Show me that lock."

Roxas looks unsure but leads the way, moving from screen to screen, regardless.

--------

The lock looks complicated, if anything. From what Sora can see, there's a voice-scan and an eye-scan for first measures. Then come the other layers, but he's not there to try to figure out the mechanics of the lock. Frankly, he doesn't need to. Roxas watches him skeptically from one of the screens near him.

"You know," his voice sounds out from the speakers, "You can still leave without me. It's no use trying to help something that can't be helped. You're free, I'm not. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be."

Sora fumbles with the pocket of his clothes before wondering when he got those -- wasn't he in pajamas when he left his house? Of course, the key isn't there, but the thought just hit him. He ignores Roxas as he reaches for his wrist, pressing the slight bump there. The microchip is the most advanced technology Sora knows to exist -- it's kind of freaky to know it's been placed in his bone, but it's not like that kind of technique was invented by the King, as far as he knows.

The light materializes in his hand, and as always Sora is completely blinded by it while it activates, deconstructing everything inside the lock. When the light fades, the door is open and Roxas is completely silent. They both stand in silence, Sora a little smug as he turns to the projection of the other boy. Finally, Roxas gasps out:

"What... what just happened?!"

Apparently, not even a computer screen can see beyond the light. No one has ever seen exactly what goes on -- the light blinds people better than any darkness could.

"It's complicated," Sora answers with a shrug, "I'm not sure even I get it completely. But it worked, didn't it? So, come on. I'll get your body out of there, your mind back in you, and we'll just get out of here. No sweat!"

Roxas seems like he wants to say something else but stops, shaking his head slightly. "Right... just go on, then."

Sora grins, gives Roxas a two-fingered salute before turning back and running into the room where the blond's body is kept. He doesn't notice the worried look on Roxas's face.

--------

The room Sora enters isn't lit -- not that Sora expected it to be, all things considered -- except for one green light, over in the back. Sora's eyes narrow. The light seems to come from some kind of ... tube. Sora stumbles through the darkness, trying not to hit anything on the way. But the room seems completely empty, because Sora doesn't trip or hurt himself or anything -- which he does on a daily basis in his own room, even with the lights on. This room seems like the one Sora had found himself in, except his was completely white. Darkness versus light, in a way. Oh, and the glowing green giant test tube. That definitely hadn't been in the room he'd woken up in.

The more he approaches the giant neon tube, the more Sora can see some kind of shape in it -- which means Roxas's body must be in there, somehow. Sora stares at the bottom of the tube as he comes closer and falters. There's no light coming from the bottom. It's as if the liquid itself is glowing. But that's impossible -- the only liquid that can do that is ... There's no way Roxas would be floating in Mako!? Shaking his head at that thought, Sora moves next to the tube in quick strides.

Roxas's body is floating in the liquid -- and the more he looks at it, the more Sora is convinced that it's Mako. Roxas seems connected to something through some cables, hooked up everywhere on him. Is it really safe to get him out of there? Maybe if Sora disconnects something too quickly, Roxas's body might not survive the shock... Though, if Roxas's body is really floating in Mako -- he's either going to be poisoned due to over-exposure, or his body has adapted enough that even yanking out what's connecting him to the system will do nothing but bring him back to consciousness. Sora's glad, suddenly, that Riku had such an interest in SOLDIER and Kairi so bent out-of-shape by the overuse of Mako energy that they both lectured him for hours about it. Mako energy isn't something that ever interested Sora much. While a form of electricity, no one ever used Mako in AIs, or robots or anything that actually served anything in Sora's mind. So he simply hadn't cared. It's not like he could've changed anything. He was just a kid. But... Wasn't changing things what he, Riku and Kairi had wanted? To explore the world, to change how it worked, make it a better place -- they had wanted a lot. It might've even worked if their prototype hadn't been... Well. After that fire, it was probably destroyed. There was no point thinking about this. Riku and Kairi were the ones with strong opinions. Sora ... Sora had simply wanted to be with them. Have an adventure with them, maybe. He didn't need or want to change the world -- the world, to him, had always been his friends.

Realizing he's been deep in thoughts in front of a corpse-like Roxas for a while now, Sora shakes himself out of it, looking at the floor to try to think of some way to break Roxas free of the tube that doesn't involve breaking it with a chair. Wait. Sora could swear he just saw something on there. Like ... some kind of nameplate, maybe? Curious, Sora crouches down, sitting back on his heels and trying to read what's written. Probably just 'Roxas', but still. Curiosity has gotten the best of him.

S... O... R...

Wait. That's not right. Sora traces the letters with his index finger, as if to confirm what he's reading. The letters are the same. S-O-R-A, then a space and an X.

SORA ... X? That doesn't make sense. He's Sora. And that kind of name would be like ... an upgraded version of him, or something! That's just-- that's impossible. He's right there, isn't he? So --

And suddenly, Sora links the letters. S, O, R, A and X -- if you mix them up, that would make ... that would make Roxas.

No way. Was Roxas... linked to him, somehow? It wasn't right. Roxas didn't look anything like Sora, did he? He had blond hair! Okay, they might have the same face, and Roxas's eyes were the same shade of blue as his, except with an added ... glow... From the Mako.

What exactly was Roxas, anyway? Should he go back and ask Roxas? There didn't seem to be any computer monitors in this part of the building...

No. Whatever Roxas was -- human or not -- it didn't matter. Roxas was a friend. Sora would ask him all of this when both were out of this place, free. He doesn't need to know right this instant, does he? Determinedly, Sora raises himself up, staring into Roxas's dormant face. Then, with no hesitation on his part, he punches the glass holding the other boy prisoner, shattering it.

The first thought that goes through Sora's mind after this is something along the lines of: "Wow, I didn't think that would actually work." The second thought that runs through his mind is more along the lines of: "I have shards of glass and Mako all over my arm!" This ... hadn't been his best idea of the day. Man, but that stuff burns.

Taking his arm out of the tube with a pained groan, Sora takes a step back to let the Mako flow through the room, trying to not let it touch more of his body parts. If Riku or Kairi saw him now, they would kill him for that stunt. ... To think of it, Roxas was going to kill him too, probably. Sora's arm is stinging painfully. Is it possible to get Mako poisoning from such a short time? Maybe it went in his system already...

Gah! That was the worst plan ever!

Quickly taking out the rest of the protective glass-- without the use of physical violence, this time-- Sora reaches Roxas's still-dormant body and wrenches out the cables connecting him to the security.

It's not like there was an off button, he justifies himself later.

---------

Surprisingly, it had actually worked and hadn't put Roxas either permanently in the machines because it had killed his body, and he also hadn't just plain died. Considering the complete lack of forethought on Sora's part, this was great news.

Though one thing Sora hadn't noticed before when the blond was asleep was the fact he was also ... naked. Which made sense -- the tube was filled with Mako, and Mako would've just burned through the clothing anyway. Yet even though the actual nakedness made sense, that didn't make it easy to ignore.

Sora strains himself to keep eye contact while Roxas, who had previously woken up, suddenly decided to practice subtle panicking and tries to hide his. Naked. ... Body.

Gosh, this is awkward.

"Uh. You weren't naked before," Sora points out uselessly, then tries to catch himself, "In the computer, I mean."

Don't look at his penis, don't look at his penis, don't look at his penis, Sora repeats like a mantra in his head.

"That's because I'm generally wearing clothing in my head," Roxas snarls, face flushed. The boy gives up on trying to cover himself and simply crosses his arms instead, defiant. The whole glare would work better if he wasn't redder than a tomato. Sora appreciates his efforts regardless. If he was in Roxas's position, he would've probably shrieked. Just an hour or so ago, they were strangers. Strangers just don't look at each other naked. Unless they're creepy people, but Sora normally doesn't have to deal with creepy naked people. Not that Roxas is creepy or anything.

Oh. Shit. I looked.

As if in a trance from his sudden point of view, Sora furrows an eyebrow in thought. "That's ... awfully familiar," he mutters absently before realizing that he is ogling a rather unfortunate part of Roxas's anatomy, there. Familiar or not.

His head shoots straight up, looking Roxas in the eyes as one of them twitches and he looks completely frozen with rage.

"I'll, huh," Sora coughs unsubtly into his fist, "Go get you some clothes. Away from here."

And with that, he takes off, out of the room.

He is never telling this to Riku and Kairi. Ever.

---------

After Roxas is properly dressed -- in black and white cargo pants and a black trench coat, because that's all Sora could find -- both Sora and Roxas stare at each other seriously. They're both exactly the same height. To be honest, all of this is starting to bug Sora a little. Still, he breaks eye contact first, crossing his arms behind his head and sighing as he stares at the ceiling.

"So, uh, how do we get out of here now?"

The question doesn't actually need to be asked, so Roxas doesn't bother to answer it verbally, simply turns around and starts walking towards one of the numerous doors near the other side of the laboratory.

The guy who runs this place sure takes his sweet time doing groceries, or whatever it is he was doing, if they haven't run into him yet.

As if sensing his thoughts, Roxas glances over his shoulder at Sora. "C'mon, he might be back any minute now. The door opens with a code."

Sora jogs a little to catch up with the other boy where he's stopped in front of a door -- it's slightly bigger than the others, but except for that, it seems exactly the same as all of them. Not that Sora actually expected an 'EXIT' sign, but he had expected something a little more ... difficult. You'd think someone who owes a nice laboratory like this would try to put some security on it. Well, no matter. It was good for both of the boys, so Sora might as well take advantage of it.

Roxas enters the code for the door and it opened, leading to some ... stairs. Huh.

"An underground lab? Man, the guy who kidnapped us sure liked the 'mad scientist' image," Sora deadpans, shaking his head and shrugging dramatically, "How did you know the code, anyway?"

Roxas raises an eyebrow at him before pointing out the very obvious computer screen next to the door.

"... He sure was trusting for a mad scientist," Sora mentions casually.

"Well, he didn't expect you to wake up. Look, if you want to talk, we can do it outside, alright? Right now, we need to get around to finding the exit once we're above ground. I don't actually know what anything outside of this place is like."

Sora hesitates a little before nodding. "Right. Let's go."

They trek up the stairs two at a time, Roxas in front of Sora. Sora can't believe how much the guy has adapted to the Mako. Normally, after being in that tube for who-knows-how-long, he should have some problem walking, but he seems even more in shape than Sora himself is. It's slightly intimidating.

Roxas stops abruptly at the top of the stairs, almost making Sora ram into him.

"What? What's wrong?" Sora asks, worried.

"This is just," Roxas makes some kind of frustrated noise, there, "Way too easy."

Sora frowns, pushing past him and then gapes at his surroundings. An old ... house? Plus, the doorway is right in front of them, wide open. Shaking his head in dismissal, Sora turns to his companion.

"Doesn't matter if it's easy or not, let's just go!"

With that having been said, Sora takes off quickly, followed by Roxas after the other boy starts shouting for him to wait up before giving up with a noise of annoyance.

---------

They reach the outside city without a problem.

That is, until they realize the 'city' is actually an abandoned dump -- scraps of metals everywhere, piles of dangerous chemicals all around, broken glass, and even some Mako...

Escaping might not be so easy after all.

"I don't even have any shoes."

Perhaps Sora should have thought about footwear, too.

This was going to be the start of a very long and painful journey, Sora just knew it.

And, really ... he was right.

* * *

I found this on my mother's laptop! While I don't plan on ever continuing this story anytime soon, I thought it'd be nice to at least post chapter two. Arr.

I only bothered betaing the fic! IT IS PROBABLY TERRIBLE AS IT IS EXCEEDINGLY OLD. Whatever. Enjoy while I go back to writing Beyblade fic.

Kudos to Little Kuriboh for the "Don't look at the penis" sequence which I just... had to add. MISPLACED HUMOR! HURRAY.


End file.
